God does not micromanage; with Gideon he did not have to. The same night that Gideon built an altar to the Lord, the Lord told him to tear down his father’s altar to Baal and to cut down the Asherah pole. The Scripture does not say that the Lord told him to wait until daylight, to make a huge production, or to cause a scene and confrontation with his neighbors. The Lord told Gideon what to do, and Gideon did it.

The Scriptures make note that Gideon was afraid of his neighbors and family, and so therefore he carried out God’s instructions to tear down the altars to the false gods at night. The Scriptures do not say that this was a failure on Gideon’s part. Gideon did not flee in fear after tearing down the altars, instead he returned to his father’s house. The reactions of the townspeople when they found the altars torn down prove that Gideon was right to be afraid. If he had attempted to do it in daylight, there would’ve been a confrontation, and instead of fighting the Midianites, Gideon would have found himself fighting Israelites.

However, by avoiding confrontation, he allowed the townspeople and his family time to process what he had done. His family recognized that the god Baal had not been able to protect its own altar, and they remembered again the God of Israel. Gideon’s father and his family came to his defense and took a firm stand against the false gods.

I know that Christians are not supposed to live lives controlled by fear. However, a Christian that is never afraid has a psychological or mental abnormality. Fear is a natural, God-given, emotional response to danger. A Christian is not called to be unafraid; they are called to act right in-spite of fear and to live lives that are not controlled by fear. If we let fear paralyze us, instead of taking wise actions, we will miss the mark. Without the Lord’s help, fear can lead to deliberate disobedience.